With Micheal Jackson’s very touching memorial service just yesterday, it seemed only fitting that I post thirteen of Micheal Jackson’s greatest hits.

1. “Billie Jean” – Released in 1983, it is coined as the trigger of M.J.’s success. “Billie Jean” received two Grammy Awards in 1984 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best New Rhythm & Blues Song.

2. “Thriller” – The horror-sci-fi narrative music video was an astonishing 14-minutes long and was the most expensive music video of its time, costing $800,000 to create (equivalent to 1.4 million today).

3. “Beat It” – The third single from the multi-platinum selling album Thriller, “Beat It” won Jackson two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Performance.

4. “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” – In 1979, Off The Wall was released and hosted this classic single that gave Michael his first solo Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance.

5. “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” – This track was the fourth single released off of Thriller. It is the longest song, running just over six minutes long.

6. “Bad” – Michael’s seventh No. 1 hit single was originally intended to be a duet with Prince. However, Prince decided against at the last minute because Jackson refused to change the first line in the song; “Your butt is mine.”

7. “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” – This hit single off of Thriller was referenced by the President during Michael’s 1984 visit to the White House. President Ronald Reagan said, “Let’s give some T.L.C. to the P.Y.T.s.”

8. “Man In The Mirror” – The music video to the fourth consecutive No. 1 single in the U.S. from the 1988 album Bad features historical events of violence in despair; including the Baker tests of Operation Crossroads, the rescue of baby Jessica McClure, Martin Luther King, the funeral of J.F.K., and the 1984 Famine in Ethiopia.

9. “Smooth Criminal” – This hit single from Bad was the centerpiece to Jackson’s hour-long film Moonwalker, which featured Joe Pesci. Eventually, Moonwalker was adapted as an arcade and video game for Sega Genesis.

10. “The Way You Make Me Feel” – On Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Gardens, he performed this song with Britney Spears. Its most memorable performance was at the 1988 Grammy Awards.

11. “Black or White” – The first hit single from the 1991 album Dangerous opens with a guitar solo by Slash of Guns ‘n Roses. The song peaked at No. 1 on charts in more then twenty countries, despite its controversial message.

12. “Remember The Time”- This tune’s mostly remembered for its elaborate music video set in Egypt and featuring Iman, Magic Johnson and Eddie Murphy.

13. “Rock With You” – Released in 1979, the original title to this track was “I Want To Eat You Up.” It was changed to “Rock With You” to better fit Jackson’s image.

Please share a special memory or a favorite song of M.J.’s that you really liked.

For this Thursday’s thirteen I thought I would post the original thirteen colonies of the United States of America. After all it’s almost my countries birthday, the Fourth of July.
The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783. These British colonies in North America rebelled against British rule in 1775, largely due to the taxation that Great Britain was imposing on the colonies. A provisional government was formed which proclaimed their independence, which is now celebrated as having occurred on July 4, 1776, and subsequently became the original thirteen United States of America. The colonies were founded between 1607 (Virginia), and 1733 (Georgia), although Great Britain held several other colonies in North America and the West Indies which did not join the rebellion in 1775.

The Thirteen Colonies gave rise to eighteen present-day states: the original thirteen states (in chronological order:

1. Delaware

2.Pennsylvania

3. New Jersey

4. Georgia

5. Connecticut

6. Massachusetts

7. Maryland

8. South Carolina

9. New Hampshire

10. Virginia

11. New York

12. North Carolina

13. Rhode Island

Bonus: Vermont (which had been disputed between New Hampshire and New York and which was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791), Kentucky (formerly part of Virginia until 1792), Tennessee (formerly part of North Carolina until 1796), Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts until 1820), and West Virginia (also formerly part of Virginia until 1863).

Since it is so close to the fourth of July the U.S.’s birthday, that I thought I show my colors and my Thursday’s thirteen will be Patriotic songs.

1. America the Beautiful: Listen | Lyrics

2. Battle Hymn of the Republic: Listen | Lyrics

3. God Bless the USA: Listen | Lyrics

4. God Bless America: Listen | Lyrics

5. My Country ‘Tis of Thee: Listen | Lyrics

6. Stars and Stripes Forever: Listen | Lyrics

7. Star Spangled Banner: Listen | Lyrics

8. Yankee Doodle: Listen | Lyrics

9. This Land is Your Land: Listen | Lyrics

10. What the Flag Means: Listen | Lyrics

11. A New Wind a Blowin’ by Langston Hughes

12. America (My country, ’tis of Thee) by Samuel F. Smith

13. The Marines Hymn

Thirteen; Dealing with Life’s Burdens.

I got these from Merle and she got them from her cousin Bill.
Thank you Merle and Bill

1. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

2. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

3. Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

4. If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

5. If you lend a friend $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

6. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because you won’t have a leg to stand on.

7. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.

8. Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

9. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

10. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have the longer you live.

11. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

12. Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

13. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

I thought I would post something uplifting this week and post the following. Several are from Barbara Sher whom I just love, she inspired me to start writing seriously– at age 38 and I have a learning disability. Which I’m not going to let stop me from doing what I want to do, and don’t let anything stop you either.

Thirteen follow your dream quotes:

1. “In your first life, you served your job and your family. In your second life, you get to discover your own genius and pursue your passions.” Barbara Sher: Creating Your Second Life After 40

2. When you get near people who are pursuing their heart’s desire, you can see the intensity on their face. Life is just too short to live without that kind of focus. ~ Barbara Sher

3. ~”You must go after your wish. As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning.” -Barbara Sher

4. ~Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. – Belva Davis

5. ~”Some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible.” -Doug Larson

6. “The era you’re entering is so different from your first forty years it’s completely justifiable to call it your second life.” Barbara Sher

7. “The universe is not going to see someone like you again in the entire history of creation.” Vartan Gregorian

8. “Whereof what’s past is prologue; what to come,
In yours and my discharge.” From The Tempest by William Shakespeare

9. Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it. ~Goethe

10. Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom while discouragement often nips it at the bud. ~Osborn, Alex

11. The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
Proust, Marcel~

12. But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling, like dew, upon a thought produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions think.
Lord Byron~

13. Water which is too pure has no fish
Ts’ai Ken T’an~

Here’s a bonus from me:

“Remember that everything before this spot in time–is prologue.”
Janice Seagraves~

The Trivia that makes your head spin.

1. In the 1400’s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence, we have ‘the rule of thumb.’

2. Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled “Gentlemen Only… Ladies Forbidden”… and thus the word GOLF entered the English language.

3. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

4. Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

5. Men can read smaller print than women can. Women can hear better.

6. Coca-Cola was originally green.

7. It is impossible to lick your elbow.

8. Intelligent people have more Zinc and copper in their hair.

9. The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

10. The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

11. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades – King David. Hearts – Charlemagne. Clubs – Alexandra the Great. Diamonds – Julius Caesar.

12. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.

13. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested? Answer — Obsession.

Today’s Thursday’s thirteen is a list of “Never” quotes:

1. Never say anything on the phone that you wouldn’t want your mother to hear at your trial. – Sydney Biddle Barrows, the “Mayflower Madam”

2. Never say “Oops” in the operating room. – Dr. Leo Troy

3. Never comment on a woman’s rear end. Never use the words “large” or “size” with “rear end”. Never. Avoid the area altogether. Trust me. -Tim Allen

4. Never kick a fresh cow dropping on a hot day. – Harry S. Truman

5. Never invoke the gods unless you really want them to appear. It annoys them very much. – G.K.Chesterton

6. Never use while sleeping. – Instruction on Conair hair dryer

7. Never play peekaboo with a child on a long plane trip. There’s no end to the game. Finally I grabbed him by the bib and said, “Look, it’s always gonna be me!” – Rita Rudner

8. Never murder a man when he’s busy committing suicide. – Woodrow Wilson

9. Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room. – Winston Churchill

10. Never stand between a dog and the hydrant. – John Peers

11. Never take a job where winter winds can blow up your pants. – Geraldo Rivera

12. Never give up. And never, under any circumstances, face the facts. – Ruth Gordon

13. Never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel. – American adage about antagonizing newspaper editors.

Thursday’s thirteen: hardware shopping with our teenager daughter.

Life is interesting with a teenager. She has a real different mindset. We went to the hardware store and looked at tools.

Her dad asked her, “Help me find some nuts and bolts. I just need a couple; they’ll be loose in one of these drawers.”

This is her take on tools and hardware.

1. “Why is everything named after a man’s body part, or sound like sex?”

2. “I mean it’s all called ‘hard-ware,’ right? Think about that.”

3. “And dad wants me to find his nuts for him?”

4. “Screws.”

5. “Bolts”

6. “Rod”

7. “Then there are names like Ham-her.”

8. “Screw-drive-her.”

9. “Joint-her.”

10. “Compress-her.”

11. “Fasten-her”

12. “And don’t get me started on power tools,” she warned. Gulp, at this point I was afraid to ask.

13. Next we went to the checkout line, and it was one of those places where you check yourself out. Then she yells, “Dad, don’t go in there your nuts are too small.”

I hate to admit it but I just lost it, I was laughing so hard I was crying. My husband, blushing badly, had to lead me out to the car.

Spring is here, and summer isn’t too far behind, so I thought I’d list the top thirteen things I have to do to get my house ready for the hot season.

Thursday’s thirteen: Getting the house ready for spring and summer!

1. Take down and wash curtains, and wash window (this I’ve already done, and my hubby knocked down all the cob webs that were all over the outside of my big picture window).

2. Dust everything, even stuff that a casual visitor doesn’t see (working on this one).

3. Wash all bedding, including comforters and quilts, before they are put away for the summer (I already did this, but it got cold again, before it got hot again and we used them again. Ugh. So I have to redo them).

4. Wash the mildew off the bathroom walls (my daughter and I did this once, but we need to do it again. This is an old house with no exhaust fan in the bathroom, and no we don’t own the house).

5. Throw out old worn clothes in my closet, so we can have room for new summer clothes (my daughter has already done this, but I’m lagging as usual).

6. Go through the short drawers and throw out the worn ones (I keep stalling on this one and end up wearing the same old worn shorts, which now have holes in them. Believe me, no one wants to see my raggedy old ass in holey shorts).

7. Buy a new set of sheets for my bed (since that’s what hubby and I will be sweating up all summer anyway).

8. Get new pads for the swamp cooler (aka, evaporative cooler) my dead line for doing this is this Friday because . . . *drum roll please* this weekend we’re having over 100 degree heat. And yes it is way too early for it, usually that happens in June.

9. Finish weeding my garden (hey, it’s still cleaning).

10. Get new hoses for the yard.

11. Get new drip line and drip hoses for my garden.

12. Plant my tomato plants (it’s not summer until I have my plants in, and yes those really are my tomatoes that I grew).

13. Clean my desk (so I can actually see it and not the stuff that’s on top of it).

Happy Spring and summer everyone, may you get all your seasonal chores done too.

Thirteen Mother’s day quotes: Mother’s have strengths that are amazing.

1. Mother’s bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.

2. They don’t take ‘no’ for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

3. They go without so their family can have.

4. They love unconditionally.

5. They cry when their children excel and cheer when they get awards.

6. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.

7. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.

8. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

9. The heart of a Mother is what makes the world keep turning.

10. They bring joy, hope and love.

11. They have compassion and ideas.

12. They give moral support to their family and friends.

Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN MOTHER’S, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

We all need to be reminded now and then how wonderful we Mom’s are.
Okay, now for the bonus.

Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater.

If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home.
If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of s**t.